Unique hobby of ancient stone objects

From his passion for learning and discovering the cultural value of ancient stone artifacts, Mr. Nguyen Canh Duong, Hamlet 4, Trung Thanh Commune (Vu Ban) has spent a lot of time and enthusiasm traveling all over the country and the North to collect, preserve and arrange hundreds of pure Vietnamese ancient stone objects. For him, each stone slab not only bears the mark of the ancient artisans' hands but is also a part of cultural memory, which needs to be preserved and spread in today's life.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Duong, hamlet 4, Trung Thanh commune (Vu Ban) with his collection of ancient stone objects.

Mr. Duong's childhood was associated with searching for beautiful, unique stones that he carefully kept, becoming a source of inspiration that grew over the years. In the 2010s, when the bonsai movement was growing strongly, he invested all his capital in green trees. However, after a short period of excitement, the market declined, causing him to lose hundreds of millions of dong. That first fall in life brought him back to his childhood love - stones. But this time, it was no longer stones picked up on the side of the road, but ancient stone artifacts, the crystallization of history, art and folk culture. He began to spend a lot of time learning about types of stones, traditional crafting techniques, carved symbols and the cultural and spiritual meanings hidden in each work.

A memorable milestone in Mr. Duong's collecting journey was in 2018 when he was accidentally introduced to see an ancient stone tank placed in the yard of a family in Nam Dinh city. The tank was made of a single block of green stone, weighing 400kg, 0.45m high, 1.02m long, 0.6m wide. The sides were elaborately carved: the front was a Hue landscape; the two sides were carved with lotus, duck, and turtle; the back was carved with a phoenix riding on clouds. Although time covered the surface with moss, the details were still clear and sharp. Recognizing the cultural value of the artifact, Mr. Duong persistently came to learn and persuade many times, and finally bought the precious tank. This was the first ancient stone item in the collection - the beginning of a persistent and passionate journey in the following years. From the initial results, Mr. Duong began to travel to all the provinces, from the Central region to the South to collect unique and ancient stone items. He said: “Most of the valuable items are owned by families with conditions and knowledge of artifacts. They do not easily resell to anyone if the buyer is only interested in profit. You have to have real passion, knowledge and goodwill to convince them.” Thanks to that relationship, he now owns more than 100 ancient stone items, most of which have high cultural and historical value and are considered very rare. What is special is that all are pure Vietnamese stone items.

According to Mr. Duong, ancient Vietnamese stone is mainly made from three types: Thanh Hoa stuffed stone with smooth characteristics, easy to process, beautiful stone texture; Ninh Van green stone (Ninh Binh) is very hard, difficult to carve but takes a long time to fade; Hue sandstone is soft, easy to shape and difficult to erode. The items show pure Vietnamese features through carved details such as the four sacred animals, four seasons, asterisks, lotus flowers, scenes of farmers' daily life... In the collection there are many typical artifacts. First of all, we must mention the pair of Nguyen Dynasty stone elephants, 0.74m high, 0.74m long, 0.31m wide. This pair of elephants was once placed in Dien Tho Palace in Hue. After many historical events, the pair of elephants was lost and kept by a collector. As soon as he got the information, Mr. Duong contacted, assessed the age and determined the correct historical value. The pair of elephants has both a decorative function and is a feng shui item in the royal court. Another item is a Hue-style stone tank collected in Nghe An . The front of the tank is engraved with a Tang poem implying the friendship between Ba Nha and Tu Ky. One side of the tank is engraved with a peach, the other side is engraved with a Buddha's hand, and the edge of the tank is engraved with a bat's wing - symbols of longevity and fortune. The tank is made from a single block of green stone, with sophisticated carvings, and is currently valued at billions of dong. The stone table and chairs he collected in Ninh Binh in 2023 are very unique. The stone table is made from stuffed stone, with a flat surface, not carved, but the bottom surface is elaborately carved with steps. Six stone chairs have carved patterns on the body, the seat surface is engraved with a bronze drum and a lotus - two traditional symbols of Vietnamese culture. Among the large artifacts, the Nguyen Dynasty stone bed is one of the most impressive items. The bed is 2.26m long, 1.86m wide, and made from a single block of Ninh Van stone. Mr. Duong added: When collecting the bed in Nam Dinh, the homeowner decided not to sell it, so he ordered the bed to be placed right from the time the foundation was poured to build the house. Later, he had to work very hard to transport it outside because the door was too narrow. During the moving process, he had to use a forklift, measure every centimeter, and wrap each edge of the stone to avoid collision, ensuring absolute safety. This is considered one of the largest stone beds in the country today. In addition, in his collection there is also a stone tray - a masterpiece showing the sophistication of ancient craftsmen. The tray is very thin, the inside is engraved with the word Tho, the edge is carved with lotus petals. The tray was often used in royal ceremonies during the Nguyen Dynasty to hold fruits and offerings. Although small, according to collectors, this is a stone artifact of high value in terms of shape and spiritual culture.

All the artifacts were carefully arranged by Mr. Duong in the space of an ancient wooden house over 100 years old. The large yard is paved with ancient bricks, interspersed with stone tanks, stone pots, stone beds, and perennial bonsai trees. In a corner of the yard, a pair of ancient stone pots were converted into lotus pots. This clever combination makes each tree stump and each rock in Mr. Duong's yard like an artistic installation, both useful and imbued with a nostalgic atmosphere. The rough stone blocks over the years suddenly become graceful under the hands of the player, reviving the ancient soul in the present space. Many people visiting for the first time are surprised and moved. Some people call Mr. Duong's house a "miniature folk stone museum". Here, the elderly see their childhood memories, the young learn more about history and culture through each specific item. It is this connection that makes Mr. Duong's hobby not only stop at personal passion, but also contribute to spreading the spirit of preserving heritage.

Article and photos: Viet Du

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/doc-dao-thu-choi-do-da-co-35c54c2/